Are These The Most Misinformed Chromebook Reviews on Amazon?

When I’m about to drop some money on new tech I tend to at least read the product description before I hit ‘Buy’.

Sadly for the Chromebook, some users don’t.

As one of Amazon’s consistently best selling laptops the Chromebook has amassed a huge number of positive reviews. But popularity means some of those buyers don’t pay attention; by blindly jumping on a trend they end up with a device that doesn’t do what they were expecting.

‘What follows are a selection of negative reviews of Chromebooks posted by Amazon users’

What follows are a selection of negative reviews of Chromebooks posted by Amazon users. This article isn’t intended to poke fun at the reviewers, for while they clearly didn’t pay attention to what they were buying (Amazon listings for Chromebooks are very comprehensive) their experiences are valuable in learning where Chrome OS and its features fail.

Let’s dive in.

“No Internet Explorer”

For this purchaser, any excitement had for his shiny new Chromebook was deflated quickly when he discovered that familiar apps, like Internet Explorer, were not available for his ‘Google laptop’.

Most people would consider the lack of Internet Explorer a plus, not a negative!

Leaving aside the issue of apps ‘most people download’ not being supported (something that a cursory glance over the Amazon listing would’ve pointed out to him) the other issue he raises, that he’s not able to upload music from his phone to Google Music, is valid.

It remains a fantastic (in the truest sense of the word) oversight by Google to not feature any sort of support for Google Music management in Chrome OS.

“Google Force You to Buy Apps”

When did you last pay for a Chrome App? What’s that you say? Never? Sadly for this reviewer, he seems to think purchasing apps is a mandated requirement to get any use of the OS!

Apparently one needs to ‘purchase apps’ to use a Chromebook. Google’s accountants will be pleased.

We’ll tackle the ‘limited’ accusation first. It’s a common “mythconception” that Chromebooks are useless without network access. That’s untrue; a growing number of Chrome apps work just dandy offline, as does the ‘core’ functionality of the OS.

‘A glance over the Chrome Web Store reveals few, if any, paid apps’

As for having to ‘purchase a variety of apps’…well, that I’m puzzled by. A cursory glance over the Chrome Web Store reveals few (if any) paid apps. The bulk of Chrome Apps are free, as are virtually all extensions. Furthermore, most major file formats, from ‘Word documents’ to media files, are supported by the OS, with plenty of free apps available to handle those that aren’t.

“I hate it!”

Chromebooks. Great for downloading pictures, but little else, apparently.

It’s a shame that this reviewer ‘hates’ his Chromebook for what is a silly reason. Being limited to ‘stuff from the chrome store’ is a strength in my book. Clearly he has approached Chrome OS with a Windows mentality, where getting apps means trawling the web for installers.

While the Chrome Store model will resonate with anyone used to Android or iOS, I guess it must feel limiting when you’re used to less centralised distribution methods.

“It Should Have Some Basic Apps”

In an echo of the previous criticism, this reviewer finds thing worse: ‘It has absolutely nothing on it‘, she says. Crikey!

Google should take note: include some apps, yeah!

‘Her criticism seems to be founded on false expectations about what Chrome OS can, or should, do’

It’s unclear precisely what Virginia means when she says her device ‘has nothing’ on it. I’m assuming it came with the OS, at least! Her criticism seems to be founded on false expectations of Chrome OS.

When one logs on to a Windows laptop, be it Windows 7 or 8, you are greeted by something, even if it is just a bunch of shortcuts spread across the desktop. On Chrome OS you see a wallpaper and the App Shelf. That’s it; a barren welcome to those used to staring at a desktop littered with icons and files.

“Limited To Chrome Websites!”

I’m with this reviewer; I hate being limited to websites that are only accessible through Chrome. Err, what?

Which internet do you prefer: The Chrome internet or the normal one?

This review is older, back from a time when Chrome OS was less mature. But the bulk of the complaints it makes still don’t make much sense.

Chrome does not limit the sort of websites accessible by default, so that’s either down to his ISP filter or a misunderstanding of what a ‘search window’ is. Equally ambitious is the claim that the device is lacking a ‘flash drive and player’. The Chromebook he purchased does use flash-based storage, and also includes Adobe Flash.

Are Mean Reviews Useful?

‘Negative reviews only make up a small percentage; the majority of people seem thrilled by their purchases’

The reviews I’ve highlighted above are pretty much the most negative ones I came across. Furthermore, ranty reviews only account for a very small percentage of those posted on Amazon. The majority of people seem thrilled by their purchases, and are fully aware of the advantages offered by a cloud-centric, thin-client device.

But there was one common issue I saw peppered amongst reviews, both positive and negative: a disappointment that Skype is not supported on Chrome OS.

Many, erroneously, blame Google for this ‘drawback’. Some even go as far as to claim that the company is intentionally harming a ‘competitor’s product’! More reasonable reviewers do, quite rightly, explain that Skype support on Chromebooks is only something Microsoft, not Google, can provide.

What is great is that the bulk of these reviewers’ complaints are continually being addressed in the ‘always up-to-date’ OS, but there a few things yet to be tweaked:

Improve media playback apps & file support

Support Google Music uploading

Better promotion of ‘Offline Apps’

Allow icons/files on the desktop

Add blurb about ‘offline support’ to First Run Tour

What improvements do you think Chrome needs to make before more users start to ‘get’ it?

Related Posts

I still love the windows commercials that emphasize that you can’t download office. Of course they don’t say why anyone would want to with OneDrive being free to access online and google docs being available offline – oh yeaaah!

Marshall Staxx

Yeah, using the “it runs Office” mantra to sell Surface worked so well, too…

Jason Duca

I am so glad I “jumped ship” from MS to Chrome! I absolutely love my hp 14. It’s amazing.

Zactu

Me too. Have the same. (Jumped ship years ago though.)

Matthew Wright

I’ve never felt love for a laptop like I do for my C720…and I’ve had many. The battery life is truly remarkable and ChromeOS is great for most scenarios. These people who have issues are just bad consumers. Do some research before you buy something! :)

sonicyoof

I actually hope they don’t add the ability to create desktop icons. It looks like crap and it doesn’t add much you can’t get otherwise.

Robert Trance

I am with you on that, ChromeOS has its style with, let’s keep so

CAC1031

I would really like to have widgets—but not everyone is interested in that. Having options to personalize is a good thing.

http://www.dahayden.com/ David Alastair Hayden

I very much prefer the minimalist environment.

nuismer

I think that the Chromebook would compete better for most new users if there were more choices and more comprehensive Music and Video Players.

Zactu

Yep. Google needs to do alot of work still. It certainly has plenty of potential, and its better if Google does this sooner.

Kenny Strawn

Word of advice: Don’t feed the trolls. That’s clearly what these Amazon idiots are: trolls who are too quick to jump to conclusions to possibly come close to reviewing a product the way it should be reviewed: with care, not with prejudice.

mamemame187

they absolutely have no clue what the point of a Chromebook is…

Roland

These Amazon reviews are ether by Microsoft fan-boys or fake reviews by Microsoft employees as part of the Scroogled campaign as not one of them has anything good to say about Chromebooks.

Accusing Google of deliberately trying to harm Microsoft by not having Skype, is like Microsoft bringing out an equivalent to Chrome OS and not having Hangouts. It’s down to the company that owns said service to create a Chrome version, but since Skype is an installable app rather than a web app it’s pretty hard to have a Chrome web app for Skype, as the Skype website is basically only good for managing your account.

Andrew Nurse

I think you are right. These are more or less plants. Fake reviews are pretty common today (or, fake comments on news stories). It is part of an overall media strategy (like deception in advertising). I appreciate this story (above), however, because it focuses on what I would call a positive: how Chrome OS can be improved.

mik straz

actually now that you mention that.. microsoft is apparently working on a cloud based os.. named bingbook…I just wonder how the blue screen of death will look like when you on on a cloud os.. lol

greg S

error message shows up saying the clouds have parted and we are currently unable to access any data out of the blue.

mik straz

Good one..

Cristian Otegui

When Microsoft will develop Internet Explorer for Google Chromebook? Never, I think. A browser inside a browser is a crazy idea. But, there is not IE for Android yet.

Sebastiaan Franken

And that’s a good thing. Internet Explorer is a disaster to develop for, with the exception of version 11 which is getting there. Unfortunately IE11 doesn’t run on XP or Vista or 7 so we (webdevelopers) have to make buggy weird workarounds for IE7,8,9 and 10…
No – I’d rather prefer Chrome..

mik straz

just wait till april, when microsoft discontinues support for XP, this might shift more users to IE 10 or 11 with the upgrade to windows 7 or 8… but yes IE is a disaster for modern web standards…

The Dreaded Rear Admiral

IE11 most certainly does run under Windows 7; I have it open right now.

Sebastiaan Franken

Ah, I didn’t know that since I don’t use Windows. I only use ChromeOS and Arch Linux.

Sebastiaan Franken

I nearly peed myself laughing at some of these. Some people just click “buy” without even the slightest glance at the product description or other reviews.

brownieboy

You said it.

Inability to download and install apps from the internet (i.e. Windows apps) must be the single biggest complaint. And yet the very first paragraph of the Samsung Chromebook’s production description says: “The Chrome operating system will not load and run traditional PC software like Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop”

Could it be any clearer?

These people are just retards. The wonder is that they could afford even the $229 to buy a Chromebook in the first place. It must be nearly a year’s wages for them.

Efjay

I can just imagine Cletus Spuckler off the Simpsons sat there with a Chromebook, “Hey, Brandine! I think I done busted my Windows.”

Marshall Staxx

Yeah, some of the Amazon reviews are ridiculous.

But I don’t get as steamed about consumer reviews like those as I do by the reviews and posts of self-described tech bloggers like Seth Rosenblatt and Dan Ackerman that are nearly as stupid. Of course, if you look at their credentials, they’re no more qualified than some of the disappointed Amazon customers, so I guess the blame should lie with outlets like Cnet and PC World who publish them.

On the plus side, if you look at the comments posted in response to the negative Amazon reviews, there are people who call them out on their misstatements, and that’s happening in response to the drivel written by Seth and Dan, too.

poorplayer

Let’s add Dan Tynan over at Yahoo! Tech to the list. He writes a column called “Modern Family,” and he thinks Chromebooks are for kids, but not adults.

He follows up with a post about the 10 best children’s apps for the CB, which is fine and dandy. But you, of course, should not be bothered.

Marshall Staxx

Yeah, he’s another.

Like Ackerman and Rosenblatt, Tynan comes to the table with only dubious experience or training. His brief online bio states: “Dan Tynan has been writing about technology since Mark Zuckerberg was in diapers.”

Well, okay.

That really tells me nothing about his experience or training. I’m not asking or expecting every tech blogger to be a computer science PhD. I do, however, think those presented by Cnet or Yahoo! as having some degree of expertise should be more than just hobbyists, which is what these guys appear to be.

Efjay

Well I do have a degree in computer science, certification in various things and 25 years of field experience. I’ve been fiddling with circuits and programming since the late 70’s. As a baby, from breast to binary ;-P If someone is going to lecture me on computers, I expect them to have some nous to them, some kind of relevant skills, education, training and experience. I’ve come across at least one in life who literally knew jack, but boy, could he follow a trend or fad!

mik straz

oh my, this made my day.. you know it is really scary for people that dont know better and actually believe these reviews. The IE one is especially interesting, as a web developer I cringe at everything IE. Really I have IE nightmares,.. great article..

http://www.dahayden.com/ David Alastair Hayden

I’m sure the vast majority of those reviews are legit. But, Amazon reviews can be faked. With the exception of the reviews labeled “verified purchase”, there’s nothing to stop a Windows fanboy who hates Chrome from going on there and giving a Chromebook 1 star and faking a review, just as there’s nothing to prevent a Chrome OS fan from doing the same with 5 stars. Yes, it breaks the Amazon TOS, and doing so may be illegal in some states/nations, but it happens all the time with all manner of products on Amazon.

Roberto Virga

Reviews of chromebooks (especially those reviews coming from verified purchases) are overwhelmingly positive. It’s not worth getting all worked up over a handful of negative ones.

Juan Cruz Jr.

Unfortunately these reviewers have no idea what Google, Chrome, Chromebook, is all about. I bought my Chromebook last week as a birthday gift to myself and, I LOVE IT! It does exactly what I expected it to do. I use it exactly for what I want to use it for. I put quite a bit of time prior to purchasing it, to make sure it suited my needs, and I have NOT been disappointed. Google rocks! Long-live the Chromebook. And for those who posted negative reviews, go educate yourselves first before you make any kind of purchase.

http://www.dahayden.com/ David Alastair Hayden

I got mine as a birthday present for myself, too. And I spent the month before that doing everything from work to play in the Chrome browser, which makes for a good test run.

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ActionParsnip ActionParsnip

Most people fail to research what it is they are actually buying, then blame the product. People are stupid.

disqus_egyQBg9Van

Offline apps need to be truly offline. I have a solitaire app from the offline section that doesn’t load unless I have an active network connection.

File.app needs not crash, hiccup or show false transfer bar when transferring large files (4+ GB).

Also… When editing a docx, need not show incorrect formatting… Or when docx is multi pages need not print only first page, show only a couple pages or ask me to convert to google format.

http://www.dahayden.com/ David Alastair Hayden

I’m spending 8-12 hours per day on mine and have for almost a month now without a single crash or hiccup from an app or the system. Which is a better track record than the three Linux installs I’ve used, spending less time on them: Ubuntu, Crunchbang, and Open SUSE. Granted, I never open more than 12 tabs and I don’t use many extensions. I spend most of my time in Docs or the Kindle Cloud Reader. I don’t move my docs to Word .docx until the final stages at which point I’ve moved to the Mac Mini and MS Office.

Efjay

I had a terrible time with Ubuntu, lots of system crash dialogs popping up. Sometimes there would be a crash just after logging in and that was with a basic install with little or no modifications. I have to be honest though, since switching to openSUSE, I’ve not had any system crashes, only once I had corrupted graphics on X on a boot. A reboot fixed that. Never experienced a Chrome OS system crash, only things not working as I expected.

greg S

you have to move your docs to an entirely different OS to finish your work and you don’t see why people are dislike chromebooks? if your just looking to browse would a tablet not be better suited for the job?

http://www.dahayden.com/ David Alastair Hayden

No, a tablet wouldn’t be better suited because I spend 8 hours each day working on my Chromebook. I have a tablet, in fact. I don’t like using it for work. With Google Drive, my documents appear on my Chromebook, iPhone, and Mac Mini. As soon as I update a file on one, it’s updated on all of them. I download the Document into Word format to send it to my proofreader because Docs doesn’t have track changes yet. I then move to specialized software after that stage. This is the final stages of a project, perhaps two days of work. The other sixty days I spend on a project can be done on my Chromebook which I prefer. This is a professional workflow. Eventually, Chrome OS will be able to handle all these things.

greg S

But for the moment it can’t handle a professional workflow is the issue is what I was getting at. I found that a chromebook is really only good for recreational use at the moment but you have a point Google has allot of resources eventually I’m sure it will get there just not today. My point is anything that has a browser can do most the things a chrome book does and more it seems silly to limit yourself.

Efjay

I’ve setup a VM and installed the full Chrome OS into it (forced upgrade from Chromium using a recovery image) which works great as a way to test getting a Chromebook and what the limits of the OS really are. I’m sold on Chrome OS, but, although I’ve got Docs, Gmail, Calendar etc. etc. setup for offline work – it doesn’t always work. It’s reliable probably 99% of the time, my most recent fail was opening Calendar, although it’s worked most of the times in my offline ‘simulation’ tests, it failed today saying the ‘App was unreachable’, was fine in a subsequent test. I’ve had a few ‘offline’ documents fail to open in the past too. So there is some way to go, also setting the various Google Apps to support offline use is a pain. It should be by default and the standard Gmail should support it. (No excuse really, Google should pull their fingers out and just fix it, have a break from Borg-implant glasses and finding new ways of squeezing in ads or G+.)

Where I live is quite bad for internet, the broadband does drop out, and I expect to be able to take my (future) Chromebook outside, if I found myself without a connection and a supposedly offline-capable app failed or a critical document unavailable, I would be furious. I’m going to be putting my faith in Google to implement a basic feature that every computer on earth does by design.

bydavidrosen

People are morons.

captain irrelevant

And they’re not ashamed to let the internet know about their stupidity.

Jasmine Lognnes

You can tell when it is Microsoft paid comments, when they are targeted to exactly the type of people where the Chomebook are perfect for. I.e. people that doesn’t use their computer for anything but Internet. Hence the “No Internet Explorer”.

Just look at all those Microsoft anti Chromebook commercials. The comments are part of that.

Browser Only

This is exactly why I started my blog, to show people all the browser-based apps/tools you can use on a CB.

Have you ever realized that people that only previously used and knew Windows, will always, ALWAYS, say anything else is crap? Even if we all know Windows is actually the crappiest commercial OS available. I would rather use eComStation. Because that’s better.

TheLinuxMinecrafter

I used to use windows but I switched to Ubuntu after my hard drive got corrupted and I don’t think Chrome OS, Mac OS, GNU/Linux, etc. is crap.

Francisco Gómez García

Because you know about other OSes than Windows, you tried Ubuntu and then saw that it was good. You weren’t an ignorant, you choosed and you found. And that’s a good thing.

TheLinuxMinecrafter

I didn’t just try it, you know. (Typed on Xubuntu 13.10)

Francisco Gómez García

Yup, your nickname and story were enough to make me realise that. I think you’re having some problems to understand what I’m saying.

greg S

Exactly Ubuntu is better than a Chrome OS I agree.

Corey Scheideman

I’m absolutely with you on this.

http://iryanfun.com/ Ryan Johnson

Comments 2 and 3 seem like they were paid by Microsoft… especially #2 with that detailed Office BS.

wogget

You know, I don’t feel bad at all that they “wasted” their money on a Chromebook.

captain irrelevant

lol

Bradkal

I feel bad that they may have turned others of the chromebooks though…

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ActionParsnip ActionParsnip

Yes due to stupidity. Sad times

Geust

0 of 14 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars NSA’s dream-tablet, February 25, 2014
By
D. Pffeiffer “D. Pffeiffer” – See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
This review is from: Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch) (Personal Computers)
(1) Everything you do on this Chromebook has to basically go through the internet. Meaning all your documents are subject to CIA/NSA/FBI scrutiny. Bye bye privacy and respect for citizens
(2) all the apps you can purchase are crappy. You can’t even get an app that can save something offline. Creepy if you ask me.
(3) can’t connect to internet through a normal non-radiation-induced-cancer-causing-internet-cord

Wish the other AWESOME reviews goddamn warned me of that. Wasted $200 and PISSED
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
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Comment Comments (2)

http://www.jopv.net/ Jop

At first I laughed but I am not sure if this is as funny as it appears at first. I mean, maybe those people have real brain damage or something…

Drakx

I don’t want much just tap and drag/highlight from my trackpad. I’ve been so use to it form windows laptops right through to OS X and Arch laptops. That for me would be Christmas for my chromebook.

britt

you can do that. go to your chrome settings, go to advanced settings at the bottom of that page, then scroll down to “accessibility” and check the box for “enable tap dragging”. you can now double tap and drag to highlight any text, drag the scroll bar, or drag items, etcetera. Merry Christmas to you and your chromebook :) <3

greg S

britt is going to sell you a pretty convincing argument but before he blows your mind let me remind you that you will be happier if you give up on chrome and buy a windows or Linux computer.

TheCarWashChannel

Woah, some of these don’t have Verified Purchase. Trolls?

Seth Pretendstobecool

What if they’re microsoft employees. :O Crazy, but not impossible.

Bradkal

Then the Bingbooks come out and the reviews are great yet offers less then chrome, at least chrome has a good browser with a good search engine!

I read negative reviews first to see if any “valid” concerns are addressed. If the grammar breaks down I write of the reviewer as uninformed or just trolling.

bluelightzero

We should make a firefox/chrome plugin that displays a warning on blocks of text with bad grammar.

Corey Scheideman

Inline spell check works quite well when filling in a text input area…

Tihs setnence wsa compeltely cvored ni rde lnies wehn tpying…

But that’s only spell check. Grammar check is an exponentially more complicated algorithm. I have hope that one day it will be as prominent as spell check… It would make the Internet a better place.

Bradkal

B-But my grammar is awful allot of times, it doesn’t mean I don’t get my facts straight or have good opinions, it just means I’m awful at english!
Fakin Dyslexia, I got tested for mild dyslexia and I was like, meh, its not that bad, then my friend read threw some things I wrote over the past few weeks…
Shiz is awful…

Joseph Dickson

I should have said review trolls

greg S

respect

ubuntuomger

What a stupid article, these people are as entitled to their opinion as anyone else (with the exception of the guy who couldn’t find Explorer on it)

If they think it doesn’t have enough apps preloaded, it’s probably because any other device (Android, Windows, Linux desktops) come with a certain set of basic utilities that the users have grown to expect.

What is the point in demonizing those who disagree with the editorial point of view of this website?

Lodmot

Sure, people are entitled to their own opinion, but it should be an opinion that makes actual sense. Quite a few of the opinions mentioned in the article don’t make sense. xD

The other thing is, if you’re purchasing a Chrome Book, at this point you should expect it to not be a Windows machine; I have a feeling that’s what confuses these people. They’re expecting it to have Windows on it, with all the Windows interface elements and what not.

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ActionParsnip ActionParsnip

People need to research what they are buying. They can have their opinion but if they hate something because they are too stupid to actually realize what they have in their hands then they will look stupid.

greg S

an android tablet could do just as much if not more for the same price as a Chromebook both are made by the same company one is just better Its a disappointing reality.

Corey Scheideman

Again, it’s all about the target audience. If what you do on a daily basis can be accomplished on a browser, and you prefer a lightweight laptop form factor over a tablet, then a Chromebook is worth every penny. Android has a separate target audience.

And it really is true: Do your research before spending any more than 5 dollars on anything, ever. Analyze your needs, ask the question Can you do what you want to do, not Can you do what you want to do in the same exact way as before. Especially if Chromebook is being marketed as “A New Kind of Computer from Google”

I have had my Samsung Series 3 Chromebook and my Google Nexus 7 tablet for over a year now. I love both, but honestly I find myself using my Chromebook more often. The web browsing experience, even on Chrome for Android, is sort of limited compared to full chrome. Extensions. Flash. Just saying.

What I can’t do on Chrome OS I can do on Ubuntu on my Chromebook via crouton. The only thing limiting what I can do on this machine is the ARM processor not being an Intel.

greg S

Would it not be better to just buy a Ubuntu laptop off of amazon? Asus still has a few laptops you can buy for about 300$. I would disagree with the 5$ statement your not hurting anyone by returning your Chromebook after trying it out a little.

balcobomber25

What is the point in demonizing the author of this article? Aren’t you essentially doing the same-thing your calling him out for? Are you the only one who is allowed to criticize others?

gluxon

I’d rather not see this banner on the OMGUbuntu! website. Reviewers being misinformed isn’t different from what a lot of other products see. These types of reviews on Chromebooks shouldn’t be an exception.

If at all, it kind of says how advertising should be different. Google advertises Chromebooks doing everything a Windows OS can.

greg S

agreed on the OMG banner now I am going to take 5 min to defend these poor souls whose bad opinions of Chromebooks have been aired.

Ikem Krueger

I think they are fake “customer reviews”, payed from a company.

I recently saw a documentation on the tv covering this topic.

greg S

honestly there are allot of people who seriously think Chromebooks suck. I think allot of this stems from people trying new things after attempting windows 8 and then realizing that they need a windows computer for there work. personally I prefer my Ubuntu laptop I find it much more capable than a Chromebook.

Corey Scheideman

Any Chromebook (Especially Intel ones) can be an Ubuntu laptop. Google crouton ubuntu.

greg S

should be with exception of the ARM ones. Though one could say running 2 OS’s at the same time is a good thing, I find that its kind of a waste I like to have just one environment at a time. I don’t think its officially recognized as an Ubuntu install either not that this is extremely relevant.

Dojers

Well, I just purchased mine for an early Mother’s Day present because my one DIL needed a new laptop so she could hand hers down to her son (my grandson) who has the first one I handed down to her and it’s about 5 or 6 yo and (the computer, not hte kid) and I don’t do anything on my laptop except the net so I decided to give this a go and see how it is.

1) There are a TON of apps available for the Chromebook and in all the ones I looked for, they were all free. There is also the ability to work with Word, Excel, One Note, etc from MS Office online to create docs and spreadsheets and whatever else you want from MS Office.

2) There’s a lot of speed in this little bugger that’s astounding – by the time I’ve gotten the lid up, it’s already booted up and ready for me to sign on.

The one thing I don’t like about it is the fact I can’t get apps from the Google Play Store, nor have I figured out how to get my apps I’ve paid for through Amazon, where, funny enough, I bought the Chromebook. Guess they need to see if these things are going to take off worth a darn.

But I didn’t lack from a choice of things to choose from – they had some transfers like Plants vs. Zombies, Bejeweled, WarTunes, etc and again they’re all free.

I’m happy with my “book” so far. AND it’s a 14″ replacing a 17.3″ laptop monitor decked out to the max. It takes a lot for me to take a step back (albeit maybe not a step back, per se, but a step into a different direction).

Now all I want is to be able to run the .apk files!! :)

Richard Patterson

I am just amazed at how fast this thing boots up, if you can even call it booting up. It’s more like turning on a light switch. Coming from someone who has always been on the edge of computer technology, this thing is a miracle. Everything we do is online now anymore, and with this flash drive hard drive like all the new MAC’s use, it’s fast and light and doesn’t make any noise. Every time I bought a laptop to supplement my powerful desktop, I had to get one of these fan things underneath it, to keep it cool, this chromebook has like no moving parts, lol, doesn’t even get warm? What? Look out windows and hard drive manufacturers, there’s a new player in town.

R.J. Spears

I know I’m coming late to the party,but I bought a refurbed Acer C710 about a year ago for the low, low price of $120 and I must say I love it. I have two older Windows laptops at home that take forever to boot-up and operate at a snail’s pace at times. Like others have said, the thing boots up from a cold state in around 30 seconds and in less than 5 if it’s waking from sleep mode.

I primarily use it for web browsing, but am fully entrenched in the Google ecosystem using Google Docs over MS Office the vast majority of the time. For live collaboration, Google Doc’s is a clear winner.

The only reason I even have my Windows laptop is for Photoshop and also because I’m a writer and my editor sometimes insists on using Word’s revision tools (which I hate).

Anyway, as the point of the article, many buyers don’t do their research. They need to investigate the products they buy instead of jumping on board a bleeding trend.

I know I would buy another Chromebook in a minute, but I would definitely go the refurb route and would not pay over $200 for one.

EJ

I was able to purchase an acer chromebook a few weeks ago for $60 through an “Amazon Deal”. I figured (even though I already have a relatively new laptop, and an old one that I keep to just in case anything happens–even though it cannot hold a charge and needs to be plugged in when in use) I could use a lightweight, cheap, basic laptop for classes. I’m pretty sure it will do it’s job. The only thing is that I wish there were an Adobe Illustrator-like application in the Google App Store, as my job and classes require it. However, Adobe Illustrator is expensive and I do not even have it on my other laptops, so I am really not missing anything.